In the bag, Cooking en Papillote

Posted: Wednesday, February 16, 2011

By Sue Ade

'En papillote (in paper),' French words for a method of cooking foods in waterproof, greaseproof, non-stick parchment paper, is not only a very simple way to prepare a variety of foods but also helps cut back on calories, cooking time and clean up. Many foods, including chicken, seafood, vegetables and fruits are particularly suited to this method of cooking, where food is baked with steam inside a folded pouch of parchment paper with very little to no added fat. Along with the food itself, herbs, stock, juice or wine are typically added to the pouch, along with spices complementary to the particular foods being cooked. As long as food is enclosed securely in a sheet of parchment paper large enough to give the food sufficient air space during the cooking process, wrapping food the same as you would a delicatessen-style sandwich is an efficient way to cook en papillote. Parchment paper is primarily used for lining baking pans and eliminates the need for greasing pans, so whatever parchment paper is not used for cooking en papillote may be used for baking cookies, brownies and cakes another time. Use parchment paper in the freezer, microwave oven and safely in a conventional oven heated up to 400 degrees. Look for rolls of parchment paper in the supermarket alongside the aluminum foil, plastic wrap and other wrapping materials.

For optimum flavor, marinate chicken breasts for at least one hour before cooking. Fish, such as flounder, sole or snapper is well suited for this recipe, as well. When preparing parchment paper pouches do not overload and be sure to leave enough room for air to circulate around the food.

Tear a large piece of parchment paper off the roll into the size indicated in your recipe or large enough to comfortably hold the food you are cooking en papillote. (If food contains a lot of liquid, or is particularly heavy, such in the case of some shellfish, a double thickness of parchment paper, or two sheets, may be used.) Fold paper in half and crease. Making sure not overload the food, carefully place a neat pile of desired food along the crease of the paper. If you are adding liquids to the food, do not add to the point where the liquid is running off the sides of the parchment paper; leave enough room on the sides of the paper to fold under later. Take the two long sides of the paper and fold it over the food, overlapping the paper as you fold down. As you fold the paper, remember to allow space for circulation of air. Fold the ends into a triangle and wrap downward, under the package, as you would a sandwich. Place pouches, seam side up, in a metal baking dish and cook in a preheated oven as directed in your recipe. (A metal baking dish is recommended because some glass dishes will crack when placed in a hot oven without a sufficient amount of liquid.) If parchment paper discolors during baking, do not be alarmed. This is normal. Serve pouches, at the table, on a serving platter, or individual dishes, carefully ripping open from the center. Caution: When pouches are opened, the contents will be very hot. Be careful not to burn yourself with escaping steam.

Pears en Papillote

4 (15 X 18-inch) sheets parchment paper

4 large ripe pears*

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar, more or less depending on sweetness of pears

1 (8.75-ounce) jar Harry & David Apple with Cinnamon Fruit Butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/4 cup golden raisins

Low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel and core pears, then slice into eighths. Place pear slices in a large mixing bowl, tossing with 1 teaspoon lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the butter, sugar, fruit butter, extract, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg, whisking until smooth. Stir in walnuts and raisins. Fold the mixture lightly into pears. Divide pear mixture among the parchment paper, mounding slightly in the center. Wrap pouches as directed in "Cooking en Papillote," and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve in packets, at the table, with ice cream or frozen yogurt, if desired. Makes 4 servings. *Kitchen Ade Note: For the purposes of this recipe, Harry & David's sweet and juicy Royal Riviera Maverick Pears were used with outstanding results.

Asian Chicken en Papillote

4 (15 x 18-inch) sheets parchment paper

1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons sake or rice wine

1 tablespoon honey

1 (3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

2 scallions, sliced

1 large clove garlic minced

1 small onion, sliced

1 small zucchini, cut into matchstick-size pieces

1 small carrot, cut into matchstick-size pieces

1 small green bell pepper, sliced thin

1 small red bell pepper, sliced thin

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pound chicken to a thickness of 1/2 inch, then place in a 13 X 9-inch glass baking dish. Stir together the soy sauce, oils, sake, honey, ginger, scallions and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken and allow chicken to marinate at least 1 hour, at room temperature, turning chicken halfway through marinating time. (If marinating for more than two hours, refrigerate dish.) Remove chicken with a slotted spoon from the marinade and place one piece of chicken in the center of each parchment sheet. Divide vegetables evenly over chicken, but do not overload. (If you have leftover vegetables, save them for another use.) Spoon some of the marinade over each chicken breast to saturate vegetables, but do not add so much liquid that it is running off the sides of the parchment paper. Using the directions for "Cooking en Papillote," wrap chicken and place pouches in a metal baking dish, seam side up. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve immediately, opening pouches carefully at the table. Makes 4 servings

Place oven rack on lower third of oven, then preheat oven to 400 degrees. Fold parchment paper in half horizontally, then crease the sheets. Divide the mussels among the parchment, centering mussels along the crease, making sure to leave enough room along the edges of the paper to fold under. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, liqueur (if using) and wine. Season with salt and pepper. Divide sauce over mussels, but do not allow sauce to run off the sides of the paper. Wrap pouches as directed in "Cooking en Papillote," placing pouches in a metal baking dish, seam side up. Bake mussels 20 minutes. Carefully remove pouches from oven and place, unopened, in large individual serving bowls. Serve immediately, opening packets (from the center) at the table. (Do not eat any unopened mussels.) Makes 4 servings. *Kitchen Ade Note: If you cannot locate diced tomatoes already containing garlic and olive oil, use a 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, plus 2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic and 2 teaspoons olive oil for this recipe.